The Role of Dorsal Rim Ommatidia in the Bee's Eye
نویسنده
چکیده
A recent model of celestial e-vector analysis by the bee assumes that polarization information is transformed into modulation of perceived brightness while the bee scans the sky by rotating its field of view. It is shown that the suggested simple strategy to read compass information from the polarization pattern of the sky in natural conditions can work only in a part of the sky close to the zenith. The bee would need a different strategy for other regions of the sky.
منابع مشابه
Detectors for polarized skylight in insects: a survey of ommatidial specializations in the dorsal rim area of the compound eye.
Apart from the sun, the polarization pattern of the sky offers insects a reference for visual compass orientation. Using behavioral experiments, it has been shown in a few insect species (field crickets, honey bees, desert ants, and house flies) that the detection of the oscillation plane of polarized skylight is mediated exclusively by a group of specialized ommatidia situated at the dorsal ri...
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